Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Carnival in Salvador is basically the biggest street party in the world. Artists ride down three or more main routes on mobile stages. It is free, unless you want to hang out in a bloco, which is kinda like a VIP section that gets real close to the action. Each year over 2 million people pour into the city from all over the world to take part in this incredible ritual!

No other popular party in the world is more famous than Salvador Carnivalin Bahia Brazil.

It is an explosion of happiness you’ve certainly never seen before. The Carnival happens in every city of the country, but no other city in Brazilhas a carnival like the Salvador Carnival.

We know that this may sound strange to foreigners who always ask: “what about Rio?” No doubt, the carnival parade in Rio is maybe the most beautiful spectacle in the world, but if you are looking for real fun, the Salvador Carnival is the place to go. Salvador Carnival is different and bigger. If in Rio you are a spectator of the parade, in the Salvador Carnival you are the show. If in Rio the carnival parades are done in two days, the Salvador Carnival last one week!!!

Carnival in Rio parade is just 700 meters of street while SALVADOR CARNIVAL in Bahia takes kilometers of streets. Salvador Carnival, or Carnaval (as it's spelled in Portuguese) always starts on a Thursday (february) and it runs "officially" through Tuesday. Unofficially, Salvador Carnival ends on Wednesday noon, with a big parade of Timbalada and other trios. It is not a coincidence that thousands of Brazilians move to Salvador every February. Let us try to explain how the things occur. Instead of the famous parade of Samba Schools with those wonderful fantasies that most of the people know, Salvador Carnival happen “behind the Trio Eletrico”.

THE SALVADOR CARNIVAL WAY: Roughly speaking, the Trio Elétrico is a big truck, driven very slowly, loaded with thousands of watts of sound equipments and with a band playing on the top. Surrounding the truck, there is a big rope carried by hundreds of security guards. This structure is organized by a private company, called “bloco”. Each Bloco sells a different T-shirt called “Abadá”.

This T-shirt is you entrance ticket and allows you to get into the rope area. The biggest Blocos, like the Camaleão, have over four thousand people, dancing, drinking, kissing and having fun during Salvador Carnival. The people who aren't in blocos, and therefore are outside of the roped-off areas around the trios, are called "Pipoca". Inside the rope the security is good and the situation is reasonably organized, what cannot be said at the “Pipoca”.

Lets get familiar with some Carnival terms:

The bands play on top of huge trucks called "Trios". The "Blocos" are organizations who can manage one or more Trios. Sometimes, one artist or band plays in different Trios or Blocos.

The most famous bands (Trios), but not necessarily the best, are Camaleão where Chiclete com Banana plays, Crocodilo with Daniela Mercury, Olodum and Timbalada

The party normally last for one week, until wednesday noon (March 9th). The Salvador Carnival starts around 4pm, an earlier on Saturday and Sunday. There are two Carnival Parade routes where the bands play. One close to the old district of "Pelourinho" and another by the beach in Barra.

Each Trio plays almost every day in one of these routes. You can by an "abadá" or a "camarote" for each day. If you want, you can also try different Trios on the same day, with the alternative to see everything the Salvador Carnival has to offer. In some camarotes you can have free drinks and a dj ambience, having fun without getting too tired. It also provides a great view of the party. Just remember that it is not so safe and comfortable (for the first timers) to stay on the streets as "Pipoca" (which means popcorn). If you want to bring your camera we recommend to buy an abadá or a camarote.

Another traditional aspect of the Salvador Carnival are the Afro blocos, important cultural agents for the resurgence of African-Brazilian identity. The most famous are the Ile-Ayê and Filhos de Gandhi (Gandhi’s Sons), over 5000 men, all wearing white/blue dresses and turbans.

So far, these are the parades during the Salvador Carnival: 1. Barra, starting at the light tower by the beach 2. Avenida, starting at Campo Grande square 3. Pelourinho, a small unpluged parade

No Mistake,This may be debated until the end of time but Salvador da Bahia (not El Salvador, that is a country in Central America) has The Biggest Party of The Planet!Hands down. Two to Three Million People Come From All Over the World To Party in The Street Every Year!

In Rio everyone watches floats go by in a parade, whoo hooo!!!

In Salvador da Bahia, Carnival is a literal street party with live music, singing, and dancing all day and night! You don't sit in the stands like in Rio, here in Salvador you actually take part in the festivities right there in the street!

@LUIZ if you have never experienced Carnival in Salvador da Bahia then you would not really understand. You should check it out! It's going on right now!